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Scotty Stevenson: Why Ardie Savea isn't the answer to All Blacks' No.7 question
Scotty Stevenson • November 18th, 2024 10:38 am
These are the kinds of losses that haunt the teams, aren't they?
The All Blacks had the French right where they wanted them but were left to rue another night of what-ifs and could-haves and if-onlys.
In the end, just one point was the difference, which would have only served to remind certain members of the last time the All Blacks played a Test match at Stade de France.
One player who would not have needed reminding of that was Sam Cane, who was sitting in the stands and must have wondered how things might have turned out had he been on the field on this occasion - or had stayed on it the last time.
I'll bang my well-worn drum here. Cane has been immense for this team throughout the season and I think he was sorely missed in Paris.
This is to take nothing away from a huge empty-the-tank performance from Ardie Savea. Another night of high impact from Wallace Sititi or 78 minutes of the potential of Peter Lakai.
But the loose forward trio, as exciting and as talented as they are, lacked balance in certain moments in that contest and the French took advantage of that.
Samipeni Finau was probably selected to be the grunt guy at the breakdown, but his night ended before it began thanks to a French knee.
But even if he had stayed on the field, I think there still would have been some questions around who was going to work the French over around the ruck, and I'm not just talking about defensively, but offensively as well.
This was Sam Cane's stock and trade. He's the guy who allows the other loosies to operate in the way that best serves them.
Savea thrives in that running role. He played with incredible width on the weekend. Sititi's innate skills make him perfectly suited to playing that way on the other side of the breakdown.
So, that leaves the middle. Cane wasn't there and, as we covered last week, Peter Lakai is not Sam Cane.
It's no criticism of Lakai, either. I think he showed glimpses of genuine brilliance in this Test, particularly the way he took that first try for the All Blacks, after the extraordinary lead-up work from Ardie Savea.
But the All Blacks have been luckless in terms of injuries to their opensides. Luke Jacobson, Dalton Papali'i, Ethan Blackadder. They've all been humbled in one way or another. Cane's out-and-out ownership of that No. 7 Jersey since his return has largely made that a moot point.
Until Sunday morning. The All Blacks, operating a wide game plan attack-at-all-cost game plan, just needed that one piece of the puzzle back in place.
Lakai is an outstanding prospect. Savea plays the game in a way that other sevens - or eights, for that matter - just don't. Wallace Sititi, we've lauded him for his carrying ability and the way he plays in the open. But there were moments in that game where they just missed a couple of very tough Bay of Plenty shoulders.
They're going to miss Sam Cane, and I don't think we've got to the bottom of how they fix that loose forward trio long term.
A lot of people couldn't wait to see Ardie Savea back in No. 7. That was not a traditional seven performance from Ardie Savea because he's not a traditional seven, and not in the way the All Blacks have had sevens in the past.
There's a long line of them who, yes, could weld a little bit of ball carrying and a little bit of sparkle to their core job.
But there's no one, at the moment, in that team who can do the role that Sam Cane does, and I think there were times in the game where that was exposed.
It's a question for me that still has no answer.
The All Blacks had the French right where they wanted them but were left to rue another night of what-ifs and could-haves and if-onlys.
In the end, just one point was the difference, which would have only served to remind certain members of the last time the All Blacks played a Test match at Stade de France.
One player who would not have needed reminding of that was Sam Cane, who was sitting in the stands and must have wondered how things might have turned out had he been on the field on this occasion - or had stayed on it the last time.
I'll bang my well-worn drum here. Cane has been immense for this team throughout the season and I think he was sorely missed in Paris.
This is to take nothing away from a huge empty-the-tank performance from Ardie Savea. Another night of high impact from Wallace Sititi or 78 minutes of the potential of Peter Lakai.
But the loose forward trio, as exciting and as talented as they are, lacked balance in certain moments in that contest and the French took advantage of that.
Samipeni Finau was probably selected to be the grunt guy at the breakdown, but his night ended before it began thanks to a French knee.
But even if he had stayed on the field, I think there still would have been some questions around who was going to work the French over around the ruck, and I'm not just talking about defensively, but offensively as well.
This was Sam Cane's stock and trade. He's the guy who allows the other loosies to operate in the way that best serves them.
Savea thrives in that running role. He played with incredible width on the weekend. Sititi's innate skills make him perfectly suited to playing that way on the other side of the breakdown.
So, that leaves the middle. Cane wasn't there and, as we covered last week, Peter Lakai is not Sam Cane.
It's no criticism of Lakai, either. I think he showed glimpses of genuine brilliance in this Test, particularly the way he took that first try for the All Blacks, after the extraordinary lead-up work from Ardie Savea.
But the All Blacks have been luckless in terms of injuries to their opensides. Luke Jacobson, Dalton Papali'i, Ethan Blackadder. They've all been humbled in one way or another. Cane's out-and-out ownership of that No. 7 Jersey since his return has largely made that a moot point.
Until Sunday morning. The All Blacks, operating a wide game plan attack-at-all-cost game plan, just needed that one piece of the puzzle back in place.
Lakai is an outstanding prospect. Savea plays the game in a way that other sevens - or eights, for that matter - just don't. Wallace Sititi, we've lauded him for his carrying ability and the way he plays in the open. But there were moments in that game where they just missed a couple of very tough Bay of Plenty shoulders.
They're going to miss Sam Cane, and I don't think we've got to the bottom of how they fix that loose forward trio long term.
A lot of people couldn't wait to see Ardie Savea back in No. 7. That was not a traditional seven performance from Ardie Savea because he's not a traditional seven, and not in the way the All Blacks have had sevens in the past.
There's a long line of them who, yes, could weld a little bit of ball carrying and a little bit of sparkle to their core job.
But there's no one, at the moment, in that team who can do the role that Sam Cane does, and I think there were times in the game where that was exposed.
It's a question for me that still has no answer.
